Israel claims 870 Hamas members arrested in West Bank since Oct. 7

By Abdul Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army said Tuesday that it had arrested 870 Hamas members in the West Bank since Oct. 7.

A military statement said 28 Palestinians were rounded up in the West Bank in the past hours, including 11 Hamas members.

According to the statement, a total of 1,350 Palestinians were detained in the occupied territory since Oct. 7, including 870 Hamas members.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank on Oct. 7 amid an Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip.

At least 163 Palestinians have been killed and 2,250 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society estimates that at least 2,215 Palestinians have been detained in the West Bank in the past month.

Prior to the Gaza conflict, the number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails was estimated at around 5,200, according to Palestinian figures.

*Writing by Ziad Aslan in Ankara